Fort Mill school crossing guard killed in 2024 knew about risk of death, district says
The Fort Mill school district denies negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a crossing guard who died in March after being hit by a car, court records show.
Lawyers for the school district say Stanley Brucker’s “own actions” caused him to be hit on Springfield Parkway. Brucker, 61, died March 21 after the collision north of S.C. 160 near the entrances to Fort Mill Middle School and Fort Mill Elementary School. He worked for Cross Safe, a contractor the school district uses for crossing guards at around 20 of its campuses.
The district said in documents filed in mid-December Brucker “knowingly and voluntarily assumed the risk of injury or death in agreeing to be employed as a traffic guard.” The district’s response doesn’t elaborate on what specific actions Brucker took other than to say “the alleged incident and resulting alleged damages would not have occurred” without them.
No criminal charges were filed against the driver who struck and killed Brucker. York County prosecutors said Brucker stepped into the northbound lane at the time of the crash. The collision was captured on school bus video, prosecutors from the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
Both the school district and the driver, who also denied fault in court filings, have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
No court hearings in the request to dismiss have been set. No trial date has been set for the case to be heard.
Lawsuit claims area of crash unsafe
The Herald first reported Brucker’s family filed the lawsuit in York County civil court in October, claiming negligence. The family amended the lawsuit in November, records show.
The lawsuit alleges the school district knew or should have known the area of the crash was unsafe and “unreasonably dangerous.” Brucker’s family is asking for actual and punitive damages from Brucker’s emotional trauma, pain and suffering.
Speed limits near the schools drop from 45 mph to 30 mph during drop-off and pickup times. The S.C Department of Transportation reviewed school zones after Brucker died. DOT added some signs and cleared some foliage near the entrances to Fort Mill Middle School and Fort Mill Elementary School, but did not lower school zone speeds.
The suit states at least four Fort Mill district crossing guards have been hit in the past six years. The most recent one happened Oct. 15 outside Catawba Ridge High School when a crossing guard was injured after two vehicles collided and one of the vehicles hit her, police said.
